History of Israel from 1948

The War of Independence, also known as the Arab-Israeli War, was the most savage war in Israel. The war started with the Palestinian Arabs invading Israel. This included Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. They attacked the mainland of Israel to which Israel responded with a terrorist group known as the Haganah, whose job was to protect the Jewish community. Haganah eventually became the army of the Israel known as IDF, Israel Defense Force. Conflict continued between Israel and the Palestinians. Although Israel had the disadvantage in numbers, they fought in unity unlike the Palestinians. This resulted in Israel winning multiple battles and eventually the Palestinians got pushed out and ceased to fight. David Ben-Gurian declared Israel an independent country on May 14, 1948.

The Suez Canal was a vital water way. The canal gave easy access to Europe and Asian markets. Without control of the canal, people would have to travel an extensive amount and waste time and money. Israel desired power over the Suez Canal, which was under the control of Egypt at the time. Conflict started with Israel attacking Egypt. Alone Egypt did not endure the barrages of attacks from Israel. Although with the support of the United States and the Soviet Union, Egypt was able to drive out the Israelis and regain control of the Suez Canal.

The Six-Day War was started by the Israeli’s Defense Minister, General Moshe Dayan. This was an attempt to counteract a rumored attack from the surrounding nations of Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. It was highly unlikely that Israel would come out on top, but instead it resulted in Israel gaining control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank of the Jordan River. Although Israel gained more land, it arose problems. Israel now had 600,000 Arabs under their control. These Arabs assembled together to make a terrorist organization known as the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

Germany was chosen to host the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Tensions were high as Israeli athletes entered the country since most were known to be or related to Holocaust survivors. The athletes were all placed in apartments known as the Olympic Village. A Palestinian terrorist faction called Black September snuck into the apartments and attempted to capture Israeli athletes. A skirmish arose and gunshots were fired, killing two of the Israeli athletes. The rest were captured and taken hostage. A ransom was demanded for Palestinian prisoners that were held in Israeli jails. This sparked an international crisis. The Olympic events were put on hold and viewers everywhere tuned in to watch the situation. The relationship between Israel and the Palestinians grew fiercer. Black September demanded a plane for their escape. The Germans agreed and planned to ambush them when they landed in Fürstenfeldbruck. Once the Palestinians landed, the Germans opened fire. A total of eleven Israelis, five Palestinians, and a single German police